WW - Four Little Piggies All in a Row

There are tons of photographs of our family all over this blog and on my computer, but around our house, there aren't so many.  Sure, we have the requisite school and sports portraits and a couple family photographs in table top frames.  But we don't have photos on the walls.  I love visiting peoples houses where they have photos old and new on the walls and along staircases.  Our staircase?  Empty.

For Chinese New Year last month, Dova received her red envelope of money and decided that she wanted to spend it on clothes (always the fashion plate, this one).  We went to Old Navy, where she picked out some flare jeans (flare in size 6 = cute beyond belief).  On our way to the checkout, we spotted some clearance items from the holidays.  She immediately was drawn to these picture frame ornaments, which were marked down from $4.99 each to $0.49.  Even though the frames said 2009, I figured that it would be cool to take them out every year and remember what we looked like in 2009.

I finally got around to printing the photographs for the frames this weekend.  Trying to get all our faces the right size was like like trying to create passport photos.  Lots of rejects.  After all that work, I wanted to display the photos instead of storing them with our ornaments and found the perfect spot.  Let's take a closer look at this picture perfect family.


Doug and Angela.


Adam and Dova.

Maybe this will be the start of photos and collages in our staircase. And perhaps some real interior decorating for a change.  Then again, let's not get carried away.  Most of all, thank you Dova for buying these picture frames.  For more on the fish and house postcards, see this post.

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Osculating Fish

In one corner of our house, I tucked these wooden postcards inside a cross member of a post and beam. I purchased them on a business trip to southern California in 1995 before living in this house.



It was in the early days of dating with Doug so I mailed him the one with the kissing fish.



With this ridiculous note on the back.

March 27, 1995

Dearest Doug,

California is as intense as the colors in this postcard. The mountains, oceans and tropical flowers are quite striking. You'll have to come out with me and experience it yourself.

All my love,
Angela

OMG, I hate reading old love notes.  How much time and thought did I put into that?  When I mentioned that I gagged over this note to Doug, he replied, "You used to be crazy about me.  Now, you're just crazy."  No, no, I'm still crazy about Doug, but let's just show the fish side of the postcard.  When he first received this card, he called it "Osculating Fish" and the name stuck.

About a year this note, I did take Doug out to California, to my old stomping grounds in the bay area.  We spent a week experiencing everything that I could cram in.  We attended a wedding of my close friend at a winery, where I caught the bouquet.  Then we headed west to Lake Tahoe to go skiing at my favorite resort, Alpine Meadows.  Back in the heart of San Francisco, we had wonderful meals and visited the sights.  And finally, we spent a day in Napa Valley, enjoying a couple's mud bath and wine tasting.  Talk about a Type A vacation!  Slow down!

I bought the house postcard for myself because I knew that someday I would have a very fine house with lots of love (and two cats in the yard).



I moved into this house in 1996 and Doug moved in two years later.  Finally the postcards were united again.  We put them together in the beams, but rarely stop to look at then anymore.  I'm so glad that I took them down for a walk down memory lane.

Alpine Meadows on Dwellable

Cutting Samson’s Hair

Ever since we let Adam grow his hair long, all of his female relatives have been swooning over him (maybe except Doug's mom).  I've always loved his thick, thick hair, but he also gets compliments from his aunt and 14-year-old cousin.  They both think that he has the best hair with ultimate cool dude look.  My mother thinks that his hair has special powers like Samson.  But enough is enough when I can't see his eyes.



Hello Adam, are you under there?



Adam's hair has been getting completely out of control, so I finally cut it last week.  Whenever I cut Adam's or Doug's hair, I always sing this verse from Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah to myself.

Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you to a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

This one verse carries so much meaning for me.  Once upon a 1984, there was a bathtub with hot running water that was installed on the rooftop balcony of a certain MIT frat on Commonwealth Ave. in Boston (as if engineering students had that much extra time).  A beautiful five story brownstone with a blue bathtub on top.  And one very, very cold December day, a certain boy convinced me to go out and bathe with him on the roof in front of all of Boston to the sound of many catcalls.  We also slept on the roof under the stars and the lights of the Prudential Center.  So once upon a time, I was the beauty bathing on the roof.  But I digress…

The verse is a direct reference to Delilah cutting Samson’s hair.  Since my mom mentioned that Adam’s power must come from his amazing hair, I had trepidations about cutting it.  He had been on a roll in indoor soccer, scoring two goals a game, even though his hair was probably slowing him down and definitely making him sweat exorbitantly.



I promised Adam that I would keep the top and his bangs long for his haircut.  What I didn’t show him was that I took 4-5 inch long chunks of hair from his back and sides and threw them immediately in the trash so he couldn’t see them.  In the end, it looked like we had thrown away a small animal.

After Adam saw his haircut, he was devastated and couldn't stop screaming.  He refused to have his picture taken.

 

This is the best shot I got of him.  (“Mom, I hate you for cutting my hair.”)

   

I think he is the most handsome boy ever, even without my mommy goggles.  The verdict on Samson?  Hasn’t scored a goal since.  Oh well, better to see his eyes.

Cribbage – Not Just for Grandmothers

My friend Claire and her family’s homemade cribbage board which we have played on for years (photo from 1995).

Growing up, I mostly played solitaire because I had no brothers or sisters.  It wasn’t until college when I met a friend who taught me to play cribbage and canasta, and reveled in beating me every time.  She had grown up playing with her grandmother and used to cheat by looking at the reflection of the cards in her glasses. 

Cribbage is one of those games that has a great rhythm and many ridiculous rules.  It’s a game that everybody plays exactly the same way.  When you play cribbage with someone for the first time, it’s like you know a secret handshake and language.  Cut for deal, deal, discard to kitty, cut for starter, play, count, change deal, lather, rinse, repeat.  Everyone knows when to peg, exactly how to count out your hand and what his nibs are.  For an outsider, it makes no sense at all.

When I started to play cribbage with my friend Claire around 16 years ago, we would play game after game for hours on end.  I once went to one of her family reunions where all her relatives played cribbage (on the very same board).  I was on a roll that day, lining them up and beating every one in turn.

After that success, I tried my hand at entering a local cribbage tournament.  Heck, I usually beat my friends, so how bad could it be?  Apparently, there is a whole other level of cribbage that I was not aware of.  The tournament was hosted in the historic Stagecoach Inn in Groton, MA (circa 1678) by a local cribbage meet-up group.  We wandered through hallways with uneven floors before settling in a room that smelled strongly of stale smoke. 
 
When we started playing, I knew I was in trouble.  Every player was to play five games and then there was a semifinal round and finals.  I remember playing against an older gentleman who had no teeth.  He was beating me and I was thinking, OMG I’m being beaten by a guy with no teeth!  In the end, I won that game and one other.  Near the end of the regular tournament play, I remember a woman yell out, “I finally won a game!”  At least I was doing better than some people!

I played one guy who completely dominated the game.  He seemed to know exactly how I thought and made me play right into his hand every single time.  It was like I was a puppet in his theater.  I was shocked that someone could control a game so deftly and confidently.  I used to think that cribbage was half chance (in the cards you are dealt) and half skill, but I know now that there is a huge skill level involved.  Regardless of the hand he was dealt, he could make up the points during the play.  This guy eventually went on to win the tournament.

Several years ago, I mentioned that I couldn’t wait to teach Adam to play cribbage.  Last week, the time had come.  The first night, I helped him with all his discards to explain the rules, written and unwritten.  I skunked him the first game and felt really bad. I hoped that it wouldn’t turn him off.  He was completely fascinated by the game and wanted to keep playing.  Here he is after our 4th game where he actually skunked me!



We’ve been playing every night for the last week and Adam is definitely loving the game as much as I do.  He feels the rush when pegging tons of points or getting a 20 point hand. He loves that there are so many ways to get points.  He’s also learning to count his hand in exactly the right order (his mom is a stickler for such details… nothing more annoying than someone who doesn’t count their 15s first).

When I posted this photo on facebook, I got a comment from someone who loved playing cribbage with their grandmother.  Later, a parent of Dova’s friend stopped by and said the same thing about their grandmother!  Geez, cribbage is not just a game for grandmothers and old men with no teeth!  But I know one grandma who will love to play with Adam. Note to self, bring cribbage board to next family gathering - it may save my sanity!

WW - Have Skype Will Travel

I'm off on another business trip again, but never too far out of touch thanks to Skype. Here are some screen shots I've got over the years.


"Hey Dova, what's that on your cheek?"


"Dolphin face painting, cool!"


Giving Dova a good night kiss. She still looked like a baby a few years ago!


This shot was from my trip last month.

Afterward, they left Skype on while they ate. I could see them sitting at the counter through the reflection in the window. I could also dictate from the computer that they had to eat their vegetables. Next time, I'll have to ask Doug to pop the laptop on the counter so I can really eat dinner with them virtually.

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Diva – 29 Years Later

Diva

When people ask what my favorite movie is, I always respond with Diva.  I had seen it several times years ago in college and was completely entranced by this French art film.  Besides the intricate plot, beautiful engaging characters, and breathtaking vistas, it also had two of my favorite things, classical music and jigsaw puzzles.


Image from Boston.com
 
Of the characters, I loved Jules (Frédéric Andréi) for his true passion for the lovely diva Cynthia Hawkins (IRL singer Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez).  I’ve been an obsessive fan of singers and musicians myself (maybe not that that degree, but I may have left a love struck note on the desk of a baritone’s dorm room once).  Whenever I hear the aria “Ebben? Ne andrò lontana”, from Catalani's opera “La Wally”, it still sends chills up my spine.



There is also the cute French-Vietnamese Alba (Thuy An Luu) who roller skates in the vast loft of Gorodish (Richard Bohringer), part Zen master, part mastermind.



I'm a sucker for bathtubs and roller skating as well.


Images from Flixster.

I loved the huge jigsaw puzzle of a wave that Gorodish completes so much, I requested this 12,000 piece puzzle as a gift for myself several years ago.  One day I will clear out the entire living room to the wood floor, and work on the puzzle for months in a Zen-like state.  Perhaps I will roller skate around while I ponder the pieces (no, my living room is not that big).  The kids would have to be MUCH older of course because there is no Zen in my house these days.



Can you imagine Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam spread 12 feet across the floor?  It will be pure jigsaw puzzle bliss (or hell) someday!

I recently purchased a used copy of the Anchor Bay version of Diva.  Supposedly, the Meridian version of Diva was remastered in 2008, but the original was so horrible that I didn’t want to chance it, especially with reviews like this.  The Anchor Bay version did not disappoint.

Doug and I watched this old film together (his first time).  How did it hold up after all this time?  Some of the film is very dated.  The plot would not hold up in today’s world of cell phones.  But the music is timeless and the cinematography is still magnificent.  Doug liked Gorodish’s character and Jules still charms me every time.

Is Diva still my favorite movie?  Well until a movie comes out that has classical music, jigsaw puzzles and is that cool, it still is.  And yes, I can be hopelessly 80’s.

PSF - Golden Fields

Yesterday, I was driving home along back roads in my new car, trying to find new bike routes.  I turned a corner of a newly traveled street, and I briefly caught sight of a beautiful field behind me.  Having the top down in my car, I turned my head to the full view of the sky, fields and trees.  It was gorgeous in the golden hour before sunset! 

My camera was with me from taking photos of the floods in Pepperell, MA the previous day, so I immediately pulled over to take this shot.  Some of my favorite photographs were taken during the golden hour and this will surely be one to them.

Sometimes we rush around from place to place with kids and without kids and never stop to take in the beauty around us.  We are so lucky to live in such a picturesque area of Massachusetts.  And I am so lucky to have a convertible to enjoy it . 


Hosted by Cecily

WW - Raging Waters in Pepperell, MA

A week ago, I took a series of photos of an old abandoned paper mill in Pepperell, Massachusetts for a photo study.  The mill closed in 2002.



Little did I know that a week later after several days of endless rain, the Nashua River which runs past the mill would reach record high levels.



I would say that the river is a good ten feet higher on the side of that building!

Around the building, there is a ledge which leads to a red door.



Today, the ledge was under water, the river blew out the door and flooded the building.



Down the river, there is an hydro electric plant which used to power the mill and now provides renewable energy.



There was plenty of electricity to be made today!



The river flowing past the dam under the Main Street bridge was already relatively high last week, as often it just dribbles over during dry periods.



The river was raging today!  Around the other side of the red building, it was flowing into the street.



The force of the water was incredible.  There were tons of people watching in awe (including this engineer who was late coming back from lunch).

Some photography notes:  I was lucky to get several shots at the same angle, but next time I will bring my iPhone so I can see the previous shots and set up the comparison shots exactly the same. Hopefully the previous shots would be available either online on Flickr or sync'ed to the phone.  As is, I had to use two cameras because the SLR could not take the shots of the mill through the chain link fence.  And the point and shoot was instrumental in capturing these amazing videos:





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Tuesday Toot - Dova Reads and Writes

They say that younger siblings often go under the radar when it comes to milestones, but I never thought it would happen to this control freak mom.  When Adam learned to read and write, it was a painstaking process for both of us. 

Earlier this year in kindergarten, Dova went from picture books to chapter books. I helped her with the first few, but then she was off on her own.  She took a liking to the Cam Jansen mystery series, which I liked better that the bratty Junie B. Jones.  From her parent teacher conferences, we learned that Dova was the best reader in her class, which didn't surprise us.  But I had no idea how advanced her reading was until Valentine's Day, when Adam came back with a gift from his teacher.  It was a Cam Jansen book!  Dova was reading at a third grade level!  Of course, Adam thought the book was way too easy for him, so he just gave it to her.  He's now sucked into the Pendragon series, on book seven, each having 400-700 pages.

And I had not been paying any attention to Dova's writing until she came home with this.


"My Teddy bear went to the city.  He went into a bulding and jumpt on the bed"

Wow, my baby girl wrote that?  When did she learn to spell and write?  I feel like I missed this part of her development.  Way to go Dova, we couldn't be prouder of you!


Hosted by Mommy Community.

PSF - My New Baby

I bought myself a new car...











The words to this story are over at BlogHer.  I was really hesitant about writing about it, being so excessive, but my editor Denise talked me into it.  I'm glad she did.  For the gearheads, it's a BMW 135i with the M sport package, 3.0L twin turbo, 300 HP, 6-speed manual transmission, 18" wheels.  Oh, and it's a convertible.  Sweet!


Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Love Thursday - Skies

On our way down to Newport last year for our 10th anniversary, we ran across these beautiful clouds over the open road.  Sometimes we call these “Simpsons” clouds, because they look like the opening sequence of The Simpsons cartoon.  On this occasion, it was so peaceful to drive alone with Doug with no screaming kids in the back.  Driving away to a one of our sacred places, where we can relax, breathe and love.



During one of my walks at lunch, I was listening to a WNYC Radiolab short podcast, In C.

Not too long ago, Jad was invited to contribute to In C Remixed, a compilation of remixed versions of the 1964 Terry Riley piece that quietly changed the world of classical music (and eventually pop music too). In this podcast, Jad talks to musicians Michael Lowenstern and Zoe Keating about their remixes, what they did and why. Then Jad plays Robert his own kaleidoscopic remix of In C: minimalism as seen through the lenses of fatherhood and Radiolab.

I love Radiolab to begin with, but when they talk about music, it is music geek heaven.  During their interview with the always amazing Zoe Keating, she talks about the key of C major and how she never composes pieces in C (I totally agree , C major reminds me of Sonatinas from childhood).  She says, “I’m looking out the window right now and the sky is a that beautiful California blue.  And that is a C major sky.’”  I looked up myself and saw that I also had a beautiful C major sky.  I quickly snapped it on the iPhone and tweeted it as C major sky.



One of my favorite photos on Flickr is ≈ 2 sKy hEaRtS ≈, by the lovely and talented Jennifer Esperanza.  Ever since I saw it years ago, I have been searching the skies for heart-shaped clouds.  Finally on the way home from a business trip, I saw a heart cloud peeking out at me.  Hello heart, I love you!



Happy Love Thursday everyone, may your skies be filled with love.

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WW - Tie Bosses to Walls

At work we have samples of injection molded parts from Quickparts, that demonstrate some of their capabilities. My favorite feature is inside the red sample, which says, "Tie bosses to walls." They mean mechanical bosses, not your boss watching over you as you giggle.  But sometimes when the boss acts up, we all want to take this part and whack him with it, since we can't actually tie him to the wall.

The second part demonstrates a "bad boss" and "well designed bosses."  I would like to order one well designed boss please.  One who gives me accolades and great raises.

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